Martin Kampmann to clash with Thiago Alves in March on FX

Last week’s rumor became this week’s reality after the UFC announced Martin Kampmann will clash with Thiago Alves in early March at an event set to be broadcast on FX. Official word surfaced earlier today through the UFC’s website.

Kampmann and Alves are both coming off winning performances in November after falling short in their previous bouts meaning the welterweight emerging with his hand raised will possess an ever-important streak in the right direction while the loser will head back to the drawing board where making a run at contendership is concerned.

“The Hitman” picked up a hard-fought Split Decision against Rick Story at UFC 139 to improve his overall record to 18-5 with other notable past wins against Paulo Thiago and Carlos Condit. Kampmann, who has seven TKOs and six submissions to his credit, will no doubt be looking to finish Alves when they fight after narrowly avoiding a third straight decision loss mired in controversy.

Alves should be approaching things in a similar manner after a stretch of decision defeats though the 28-year old was able to choke out Papy Abedi at UFC 138 in the opening round of their main card match-up. “The Pitbull” is 19-8 in his career with eleven strike-based stoppages.

Expect more pairings, as well as a specific date/location, to be revealed in the coming weeks as the UFC continues to put the lineup together.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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MMATraining Take: This should be an excellent fight. Both men have no fear on their feet and underrated BJJ, though Kampmann’s is unquestionably superior to Alves’ (with the opposite being true in terms of stand-up). I’d also be remiss if I didn’t add how amazed I am at the FOX-based output in 2012 with four events already scheduled in the first three months of the year.